Numerous processes for the production of ethyleneamines are known. Of these processes, the two most commonly used process are (1) the reaction of ethylene dichloride (EDC) with ammonia (NH3) followed by neutralization with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to produce ethyleneamines and salt (referred to herein as “EDC Process”); and (2) the reductive amination of monoethanolamine (MEA) with ammonia (NH3) over a heterogeneous catalyst (referred to herein as “RA Process”). A third viable technology, which is not commonly practiced in the industry for the production of ethyleneamines, is condensation. A condensation reaction is a chemical reaction in which two molecules (groups) combine to form a single molecule together with a loss of a small molecule (e.g., water or ammonia).
The EDC process typically produces a full range of ethyleneamines whereas the RA process is highly selective in the production of lighter amines, for example, ethylenediamine and diethylenetriamine. The condensation process typically produces a product mix that is somewhere between an EDC process and an RA processes. For each of these technologies, the degree of mix flexibility attainable is constrained by the chemistry, the process employed and the investment required to operate over a broad range of reaction conditions and the capital investment and operating costs required to recycle materials to the reactor.
In view of the limitations inherent in known ethyleneamine-generating processes, it would be desirable to have available a method of manufacturing ethyleneamines that is capable of providing an ethyleneamine manufacturer with improved product mix flexibility, and that could be cost-effectively retrofitted into an existing ethyleneamines-generating process or designed into a new plant.